Nonprofit Leaders Answer: What’s One Leadership Habit That’s Made the Biggest Difference for Your Nonprofit?

Always Explain the “Why” to Your Team

Always be sure to include “the why!” People need to understand the importance of what they are being asked to do.

— Karen Jacobsen from Emmaus Community of Pittsburgh

Tying Daily Tasks Back to the Mission

One leadership habit that has made the biggest difference for our nonprofit is consistently tying daily work back to our mission — and holding the team accountable to how we show up, not just what we complete. At CEPS, it’s easy to get buried in transactions, compliance, and volume.

But I’ve learned that when I intentionally pause to connect our metrics, conversations, and decisions back to why we do this work — making life better for others in every encounter — it shifts everything. It changes how calls are handled, how problems are solved, and how the team sees their role.

That habit also means I don’t let accountability slide. We talk openly about expectations, whether it’s service levels, communication, or follow-through, and I reinforce that consistency matters.

Not in a punitive way, but in a way that builds trust, ownership, and pride in the work. The result is a culture that’s not just task-driven, but purpose-driven — where people understand that what they do matters, and how they do it matters just as much.

— Jasmine Vollenweider from Community Engaged Payee Support (CEPS)

Fostering Shared Expertise through Team-Centered Leadership

I direct a program in a human service nonprofit. I would say the most important leadership habit I have is seeing all my staff as a team, with a team-focused approach to service, problem solving, policy updates, and both clinical and resource support.

When I began overseeing program staff meetings, I initiated a style where each person is asked what they want to tell or ask the group. This leads to both support for the situations they work in, as well as shared expertise to meet the clients’ needs.

It also allows them to hold me accountable for what I share about, and to ask for my support in their decisions. This is in addition to regular supervision with their team leaders.

It has led to a high degree of buy-in for both changes and challenges, and a fierce sense of support and loyalty between the staff.

— Rachel Kuhr from Jewish Family Service of Greater Harrisburg

Increasing Capacity Through Delegated Authority

Delegating authority with accountability has made a visible difference. While there is work to do on the communication chains to move away from top-down decision-making when it was the executive director only, the move to a C-level line of staff, with clear delegated authority, has added capacity that has had a clear impact on what we’re able to move on each day/week/quarter.

It has allowed us to get to items that were previously backburnered and prioritized new items that will improve our programming and staff experience.

— Sandra from Center for Rural Affairs

Creating a Culture of Honest Communication and Trust

Fostering trust: Real trust means more than not micromanaging people.

It required creating a climate where honest, kind communication is valued and encouraged. It’s making sure that you, as a leader, aren’t afraid to be visible relying on others to fill your own knowledge or skill gaps, setting the example so that others are comfortable doing the same.

It’s allowing the people closest to the work to exercise their own professional judgement because they know better than you do. It’s being completely transparent unless you have a legal reason you can’t be (and then explaining why).

— Lori Ropa from The Arc – Jefferson, Clear Creek & Gilpin Counties

Driving Engagement Through Active Listening

One leadership habit that has made a significant difference for a nonprofit is active listening. When leaders truly listen to their team members, volunteers, beneficiaries, and partners, they create a culture of trust and collaboration.

This habit allows for better understanding of the needs and challenges of everyone involved, fosters empathy, and helps leaders make informed, thoughtful decisions. It also ensures that those who are directly impacted by the nonprofit’s work feel heard and valued, which can drive greater engagement and commitment to the mission.

— Paul Marengo from The DC LGBTQ+ Community Center

Utilizing Board Executive Committees for Better Agency Support

Forming and holding monthly meetings of an executive committee of our board of directors has made a huge difference. This strengthens the board-executive director relationship, but even more importantly, creates a safe and politically neutral space to openly discuss agency challenges in-depth.

Issues that need to be elevated to the level of the full board can still be done so whenever needed, but with better understanding by a core group within the board, and with a set of options that have been at least partially vetted.

It also creates a board leadership group that allows them to mentor other board members, and usually results in both the executive committee members AND the up-and-comers on the board to feel more engaged and more likely to contribute more of their time and expertise than they would have otherwise.

And having a small group to discuss agency challenges with in a confidential setting provides a support system and sounding board for both good and bad ideas that helps me to thrive as the executive director. The discussions are often difficult and challenging, but all of us benefit greatly.

— Clay Kempf from Seniors Council of Santa Cruz & San Benito Counties

Building a Collaborative Decision-Making Culture

Creating a truly collaborative team atmosphere where everyone is part of the decision-making process and feels ownership in the outcome.

— David Jenkins from Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship

Strengthening Team Cohesion with Weekly Leadership Huddles

One practice that has made a meaningful difference for us — and that we would strongly recommend to other organizations — is the implementation of weekly leadership huddles. We have been running these consistently for over three years, and they have become a core part of how we operate.

Each week, all key management staff come together, with a rotating facilitator to reinforce shared ownership of the space. The structure is simple but highly effective: Each leader shares progress on a key project, a weekly win to celebrate, and a top goal for the upcoming week.

We intentionally include a brief, fun element to build connection and energy. Over time, this rhythm has helped eliminate silos, increase transparency across departments, and strengthen overall team cohesion.

It has also created a culture where leaders are more intentional about driving progress and achieving wins, knowing they will be sharing them with their peers. What started as a post-retreat idea has evolved into a sustainable leadership discipline that keeps teams aligned, engaged, and moving forward together.

— Naira Aslanyan from ArcMorris

Encouraging Input from All Staff Levels

As a leader, you need to make sure everyone feels valued for what they do. Some of the best ideas come from staff that do not speak up because they are not encouraged to do so.

A leader brings everyone along to make great changes for the community.

— Jenny Trostel from Girl Scouts of Central Maryland

Defining Clear Priorities for Disciplined Execution

While we have adapted it to better fit our organization, the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) has strengthened our ability to define clear priorities and execute with discipline.

Over the past three years, this approach has provided structure, clarity, and accountability, keeping us aligned with our long-term vision, while delivering measurable results along the way.

Regardless of the framework you choose, the principle remains the same: Set clear goals, define a deliberate path forward, and have the discipline to prioritize.

Not everything can or should be done at once or as you think of it. The key is knowing what matters most now, and committing to what comes next with intention.

— Pat Nelli from Children’s Flight of Hope

Maintaining Institutional Knowledge with Mandatory Officer Transitions

Mandatory officer transition by having a president-elect, president, and past president. This allows next year’s president to learn the job while keeping your past president active.

— Walt Brookshire from Main Street Union

The Impact of Intentional Presence and Open-Door Policies

The one that has has made a big difference is being intentionally present and have a true open-door policy.

— Dr. Elna Poulard from Family Support Circle

Building Trust Through Authenticity and Storytelling

Believe: Be authentic, share how you first got involved with your nonprofit, and why you believe it is needed. If it is still relevant, if you still believe, consider leading with your story or a story that inspires you.

Not the history or background of your nonprofit. Not your data, such as number of people served, but actually a story about WHY?

Leaders who lead with their beliefs are perhaps more vulnerable, willing to find their voice, and to have their story be personable (when possible). Authenticity combined with a personal experience leads to trust and being memorable.

It’s much easier to remember and also repeat a story that resonates with purpose versus just data or the history.

— Bonnie Hilory from Friends of Lake Wenatchee Y Camp

Routine, Two-Way Communication as a Foundation for Trust

One leadership habit that has made the biggest difference for our nonprofit is consistent, transparent communication. This means not only sharing updates regularly, but also explaining the “why” behind decisions, especially during times of change or uncertainty.

By making communication a routine rather than a reaction, we’ve built stronger trust across staff, volunteers, and stakeholders. People feel more connected to the mission when they understand how their work fits into the bigger picture, and that clarity has reduced confusion, improved collaboration, and increased overall engagement.

Equally important is creating space for two-way communication. Transparency isn’t just about broadcasting information, it’s about listening intentionally and acting on what we hear.

Regular check-ins, open forums, and feedback loops have helped surface ideas and concerns that might otherwise go unnoticed. Over time, this habit has strengthened our culture, making it more inclusive and adaptive.

When people feel heard and informed, they are more committed, more innovative, and more willing to step up as leaders themselves.

— Paul Marengo from The DC LGBTQ+ Community Center

Practicing Intellectual Humility for Team Symbiosis

As the executive director, I have tried to institute a practice of “intellectual humility” with my leadership team. Basically, what I tell them is that they need to consider the possibility that they may be wrong, even when they know they are right.

It has been a difficult thing to do with a crackerjack leadership team, all of whom are high achievers and “Type A” folk. However, that pause in their thinking, in their advocacy for their programs, is essential for them to work symbiotically together.

Otherwise, our leadership meetings can become a free-for-all, with each program fighting for more of our limited resources.

— Randi Sunshine from Learning Rights Law Center

Using Hard Data to Foster Evaluation and Engagement

Focus on hard data. It helps to couch the presentation of bad news in calm tones, but ultimately you can’t argue with the numbers.

There can be nuance in reading the tea leaves, but staff that know what they’re being evaluated on and are given the proper resources to meaningfully affect results are much more likely to be and stay engaged.

— Rick Ramirez from AAMFT

Translating Intentional Listening into Programmatic Adjustments

One leadership habit that has made the biggest difference for our nonprofit is building in protected “listening time” every week and then actually acting on what I hear.

I block time to listen intentionally to my team, through quick check-ins, or debrief calls after events, and I treat those conversations as data, not just chit-chat. Then, I translate what I hear into specific adjustments: Refining a program, tweaking a partnership, or changing how we communicate about capital access or resources.

Over time, this habit has built trust, surfaced blind spots early, and kept our work grounded in what small-business owners in our region actually need, rather than what we assume they need.

— Pamela Deans from Microenterprise Collaborative of Inland Southern California

Note: The opinions and product/service recommendations expressed above are solely those of the participants and do not necessarily represent those of Blue Avocado. Submissions may be edited for length and clarity.